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| God HAS a sense of humour....
if not, why else would He allow a muskrat to drown in aaron's pool filter, and have myself and Esther pick it out? 
note: this rat was the size of a watermelon... nowhere near cute!!!!
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| Being home is BRILLIANT! *must say 'brilliant' with an English accent*wow.... I looooooove being home. I couldn't sleep for 15 minutes while lying in bed because I couldn't stop smiling, and thinking that I was going to wake up to my smelly dog, the scent of curry wafting through my Bramladesh window, the men of my home walking in their bahns (okay, that didn't make me smile), and knowing that I wasn't paying $100 a night to sleep there... as cheesy as that dorothy girl put it, there really is no place like home. 
And going to the CNE yesterday with familiar faces yesterday put a cherry-on-top, even though I was half-alive from jet-lag... the corn dog and roasted corn was worth travelling across the Atlantic for...
As I was reflecting during my plane ride... I realized a couple things:
-WHAT'S THE RUSH?!?!??! I've always been known as the girl who tries to do everything; 15 ministries at the same time, while being a full-time student, while working, while trying to be a friend, sister, daugther, grand-daughter... it's so exhausting. If there's one thing I've learned from the Europeans, apart from never wearing speedos in public, is that life is too short to take seriously. ... breathe.... it's okay to not have everything figured out.
-YOU CAN'T FORCE SPIRITUAL GROWTH. God will be God, regardless of my efforts to be GREAT for him, or to 'start' growing... I just have to assume (by faith) that as His child, He's already doing something, even though I can't see it nor understand it at the moment.
... that's not all I learned, but I have to go and pay off my tuition.... (ironically, I'm 'rushing' to finish this entry to go and 'do'... hahhaha)... 
seee yoooos around!
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| counting ones blessings isn't considered a form of procrastination!okay... taking a study break. My brain is not working for some reason... 
I can't believe I'm going home soon. The thought of having to live with others again is really daunting (and makes me a little sad, too). I hadn't realized how great it is to live on your own.... *sigh.... one thing I do miss is my halmunee, though... she's the only person I can act like a baby to (well, the only person who'll put up with it) :) I'm definetely looking forward to hanging out with her when I get back - which reminds me, isn't it the best when you and someone can just sit in silence without feeling awkward? That's how I feel with my halmunee  ... well, the language barrier partially explains the drawn-out silences, but .... comfy nonetheless.  I have a couple people in my life like that... those relationships are priceless, and as I go travelling about and meeting different people, I come to appreciate those relationships even more. Nothing beats being able to be yourself without explaining why. 
k, I'm typing gibberish. I need to get back to work.... but yeah, this xanga break was great in helping me count my blessings!  I'm sure everyone has that one person... or at least should. Who are those people in your life?! (this tests to see who has actually persevered through my blog) ;)
and thanks for all of you who actually hugged yourself for me.. hahaha... I think it's helped some of you realize a shower might be called for...? 
side note (some quick, interesting updates on my trip within the last coupla' days):
-ate a kangaroo burger (which is DELISH! The best burger I've ever had)
-ate a bison burger (tastes like beef, but has a strange aftertaste)
-watched Patrick Stewart (Jean Luc Picard on Star Trek) perform in "The Tempest" in Stratford (shakespeare's birthplace)
-went with a gf to try on "girls best friends".... every girl should do this. It's so ridiculous that it's fun.
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| okay, this is my third attempt to write something... sorry, no pictures.... my ghetto xanga subscription won't allow anymore pictures for the rest of this month! aigooo....
HIYA, btw! :)
the weather here has been pretty wonky. No joke, I would be freeeejjjing one moment and the next I'll be sweating like a man.
I managed to go to Bath today, which for some of you literary folk, is the home to Jane Austen (who wrote "Pride and Prejudice"... Louis!) :) And I had (yet another) fish and chips at the pub, "The Eagle and Child", which was the pub where JRR Tolkien and C.S. Lewis met every tuesday to read each others' work. purty cooool, yeah? The food was EXCEPTIONAL, except my friend choked on a fish bone and puked her entire meal up in the toilet.... hm, that was not a result of the taste, though (it was so good I ate two of them) hee heeee.....
I also went for a traditional tea party after going to the Bodleian Library (which is where Harry Potter was filmed, and where a lot of original manuscripts are)... I have to admit, tea was "eh" for me before, but MAN! I've been having it every day here! (some of you know I try to steer clear of teas because I'm afraid my teeth will get stained - hahhaha), but bring on the stainage!!!!
anywho, I'm not going to bore you with my updates (MAN! pics are so much more fun.....) BUT I just wanna say that I do miss you guys back home! Here are a few things I've learned thus far.... (in england)
1. touring with groups are not that fun (one of my tour guides kept laughing at her own jokes when NO ONE was laughing... it was quite creepy actually... I just wanted to shake her and say, "you're not entertaining at all!!!! You're the only person laughing!".. ahh well, at least she was happy.
2. chips = fries, crisps = potato chips
3. Shakespeare is NOT original.. he stole his stories from other sources, but just tweaked them a bit (well, except "Midsummer Night's Dream", but you guys don't care about that) hahah... he's still a fraud.
4. there IS such a thing as an "ugly" English accent... well, I think there is
5. I'm craving Karoke
6. I'm still not a beer/wine person...
.... for some reason my mind isn't working that well tonight I can't think of anything else I've learned .... haha
oh, and lastly...
7. (God's favourite number!) I've learned that MAN! I didn't think I'd miss home, but I do. I actually have dreams about home! hahaha... sooooo wierd.
well, I'm off to London tomorrow - bringing three of my friends to Hillsongs with me! YAY! I really hope they enjoy it! well, God will do His work! :)
If you've actually made it through this email, hug yourself for me! (I can't be there to do it myself)...
love, Hanna
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| OMIGOOODNESS... I ACTUALLY forgot how to use Xanga.. I spent the last 5 minutes looooooking for the "new entry" thingy.. anywho, I'm here in Oxford (can't say that in my head without the English accent) puhaha.. such a nerd.
HALLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
I guess the lightbulb went off in my head a few days ago, reminding me that I have Xanga to post things up for people to see (so people know I haven't fallen off the planet)... so, I'll just give you all a quick peek into my trip thus far (warning: most, if not all, of my pictures will have just me in it, so I'm not a solipsistic cow or anything, but I'm just posting the pictures that let you know that YEAH! I was there! haha... sorry) anywho.... hereeee it goes! (I'll only be posting 1% of my pictures with a tiny blurb.. I'll give the slideshow later ;) (oh, and, euge... I'll save you the "special" pictures for when I get back) ;)
myself over the beautiful beach of Sorrento, italy... (I'm not naked, don't worry)... and the sea is not tilted, I am....)
us swimming in the green grotto in Cinque Terre, italy... I look like I'm having a great time (which I was for about 5 minutes) until I realized I can't doggy paddle for the life of me... then I clung to the nearest rock, and remained barnacled until I regained composure.
over Cinque Terre (apparently a lot of celebrities come here for holidays.. hm... I wonder why, eh?)
..........gelato....... is........friend...............
okay, it's cheesy, but hey, I'm a TOURIST!!!!!!
clubbing in Milan/Milano (right after "fashion week" in italy, so it was quite interesting to feel short and poor)
on a gondala in Venice (with bellinis, which venice is apparently known for)... with my friends from (L-R) england, Australia, Toronto, and BRAMLADESH (yeeahhh!!)
at the colosseum (I think I've misspelt that).. whatever, you get the picture ! (ha! so witty)
with Jennnnnita in Switzerland, excited by the tantalizing array of swiss chocolate
In Salzburg, Austria (home to "sound of music"), posing by a painted cow with my girl, Julie Andrews, painted on it ;)
by the eiffel in Paris.... it's all *bahn-jjang* at nighttime.. so purty... so romantic... *sniff* (hahahha)
in the SKETCHIEST part of Paris at the Moulin Rouge.. (this is for you, mike!!) - the movie makes it look a LOT nicer... (it leaves out scuzzy French men)
AWWWWWW..... unfortunately xanga won't let me download anymore pictures.... and I haven't even gotten into Oxford, or London (or Hillsongs! AIGOOOO) ... sigh.
well, I hope you enjoyed the shorthanded version of my past month here in Europe & the UK....
keep in touch, and if you're praying for me, thank you and please don't stop! hahaha... (thank you for praying for me... God has been AWESOME throughout this crazy trip, and I know his grace, protection, and mercy does not end here....)
I miss you, toronto! 
love, Hanna | | |
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